Lindsay Lohan dons shamrock-tinted glasses and becomes part of a bizarre Irish love triangle in her new movie Irish Wish and while she has laughed off the idea of buying a house here, she does reckon the Irish accent is sexy.
The film is released on Netflix on 15 March and it sees Mean Girls star Lohan play book editor Maddie, a woman who puts her feelings aside when the love of her life gets engaged to her best friend.
She attends their wedding in Ireland but just as the pair are set to marry, Maddie makes a spontaneous wish for true love and finds herself in an alternate reality.
Irish Wish was shot in Wicklow, Westport Town, and the Cliffs of Moher but despite the fact that her grandfather, Richard, hailed from Galway and both her parents, Donata and Michael, have strong Irish roots, the film marked the 37-year-old star's first visit to Ireland.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment via Zoom, Lohan said, "I loved being in Ireland. It was beautiful to go there for the first time and it was beautiful to film there. I wish my grandfather was still with me so he could join us but it was just really nice. It felt really serene and peaceful and magical being there."
Her co-star Ayesha Curry, who plays Maddie’s best friend Heather in the film, says she had no issues with embracing the unashamed Orishisms in Irish Wish, saying, "Absolutely! I love a little cliché in my life so definitely. Hahaha."
Lohan, who was born in 1986 in the Irish American Woodlawn neighbourhood of The Bronx, has been relatively quiet of late.
She made her acting comeback in 2022 with Netflix rom com Falling for Christmas, her first lead role in a film since The Canyons in 2013, and Irish Wish is the second part of her two-film deal with the streaming giant.
The new film really sees her play to her undeniable comedic talents. Maddie is a loveable klutz and Lohan, who also starred in Freaky Friday and The Parent Trap, has always been very good at physical comedy.
"It was fun to be able to do that," she says. "I always like to add more physical comedy whenever we can. Safely! It’s nice to have a laugh when you’re watching a movie and I think physical comedy always brings that. And, yes, I did my own stunts."
Lohan’s younger brother Dakota (27) has a small part in the movie so filming in Kilruddery House and Lough Tay in Wicklow, Westport Town, and the Cliffs of Moher was very much a family affair.
Speaking at the film’s premiere in New York last week, Dakota said, "I was over the moon at the opportunity just to do the movie.
"I think Ireland is the most beautiful place I’ve even been to in the world. The people were kind and it’s so green and open and inviting. We’re half-Irish so it made sense and we look kinda Irish."
Asked what the message of Irish Wish is, Curry says, "I think it would be the heart knows what it wants and sometimes what you think is for you is not always what is for you and it’s important to follow your heart at the end of the day."
Lohan adds, "I definitely think it’s careful what you wish for and yes, follow your heart always and your gut instinct because Maddie knows that she can be a writer and do what she wants to do but she’s afraid to speak her truth and trusting herself leads to that."
When is Lindsay buying a house in Ireland? "I’ll have to come back and see but I stayed in Dalkey," she says. "It was beautiful, I really loved it. We heard about Matt Damon being there during lockdown."
Only one question remains for Miss Lohan - Is the Irish accent sexy? "Of course, yes!" she says. "I think it’s a great accent."
Irish Wish is on Netflix from Friday, 15 March
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